Interlochen, Michigan
This is our primary home, PSTR 23-048, that we rent in the summer to help pay for renovations. This home is one of the few on Duck lake with the privacy of a full acre on the lake and another 1/2 acre between the house and the road. Our solid fence between us and the road offers up a sense of extra privacy. We purchased this property December 2016 and spent all of 2017 gutting and renovating this home which in it's time was state of the art and a home that hosted the arts. It's owners were heavily involved with Interlochen Arts Academy and the Traverse City Orchid Society and Humane Society. Most people would have torn it down but we wanted to preserve the unique architecture and unique history with updates. As you can see from the photos all appliances are state of the art, we replaced vinyl floors with Hickory and porcelain tile. There are beautiful views of the lake and the woods from every window. Except for some painting of woodwork and final pieces of art the inside of the house is complete. There is a six foot deck facing the lake coming off the living room and a lower 16 foot deck coming off the master bedroom and around the side of the house off the green house is another deck, also of course facing the lake. You will have a private dock and pontoon for your use. As you come in the gate you will see the patio where the Weber Grill is located and a table and seating. Here you will have easy access to the kitchen. The back yard will be fully developed with irrigation and the lawn is a work in progress. We have a fire pit housed in the middle of the backyard for your enjoyment. The lakeside of the house feels very much like being in a tree house. This house was built on the bank of the hill, the hill is primarily covered with ferns and a variety of ground cover that has spread over the decades. You will see our dock and the pontoon which seats a maximum of 8, more comfortably really 6 passengers. The pontoon is included in your rental. Around the south side of the house you will see the greenhouse which used to house many orchids and birds. Currently we have 20 Zebra Finches, in the aviary part of the greenhouse. You will not have access to the greenhouse but can view it through the large kitchen windows. We have a caretaker that will stop by each afternoon, he has been the caretaker for many years, and he will feed & water the birds via the outside entrance to the greenhouse. The finches are quite entertaining.
Inside, as you enter you will see the kitchen range is a six burner double oven with a griddle. It is housed in an island with a counter and stools for a quick meal. All appliances were updated and the kitchen is fully stocked. There is an extra ice/beverage fridge in the utility room. We have installed a water softener and reverse osmosis system so there is no lake water residue or funky taste to the water like many lake houses. RO water is connected to both refrigerators and a tap on the sink. All ice is RO water. Lots of bells and whistles in this home as it is our primary residence most of the year. In the utility room you will see the washer and dryer.
The main part of the house is dining room and living room. The living room houses a fireplace, 65 inch television with streaming for Netflix and Hulu, etc. Off the living room is the top outdoor deck. The second bedroom/extra sitting room is also on the main floor and has it;s own full bathroom with a shower. The couch pulls out to become a queen size bed, we spent a lot of money to provide a comfortable sleeping experience. This pull-out sofa has no bar and is quite comfortable, we are used to Tempurpedic so we are picky. There is a second queen-size inflatable E-Z bed, it has legs and goes up in the living room for that third bed. There is a second half-bathroom on the main floor as well.
Downstairs is the master bedroom which has a king, dual control Tempurpedic bed and a 55 inch screen TV. The master bathroom hosts a bidet smart toilet, a large shower with double shower heads and a sauna. While in the bedroom you look out onto the lake with a 12 foot sliding door which opens to the 16 foot deep deck.
The decks house a variety of wicker furniture.
As far as location goes Grand Traverse Bay and Sleeping Bear dunes are both about 30 minutes away in opposite directions. This is a great spot to visit many area sites, peninsula vineyards and the many festivals and concerts in the area.
In addition to the pontoon there are four kayaks available for your use on our lake.
We do have swimmers itch in our lake as do many of the inland lakes in the area. To kill it, also kills a lot of other things so the DNR and the community have opted to just warm people about it. You are only at risk of being bothered by this if you spend more than a few minutes in the shallow water. When waist high you are are good to go. There are some places in our lake where the flow of water is more open and there is no risk, these are the areas you can boat to and enjoy frolicking in the shallows. We do always towel off good when finished just to be on the safe side. I have been in this lake for a decade and have never been bothered. Swimming in the deep water, where you can dive off the pontoon is safe from swimmers itch.
This was our second year staying at this house and we absolutely love it. Clark and Nancy are amazing owners. Very responsive. Location is ideal. House is wonderful. Can't wait to visit again.
We absolutely loved staying here! Beautiful!
Each year my husband and I visit the traverse city area with our two young kids. This house was by far the best house we have stayed at. I have never felt so “at home” until we stayed here. I enjoyed waking up every am and watching the birds while I made my coffee. I feel like each day we were there the birds enjoyed seeing us around. It was truly a unique touch to a vacation house. The house itself was so comfortable. My husband, myself and my kids slept so comfortably without any problems. There was so much to enjoy right on the property. Watching the boats go by from the two balconies, eating dinner and playing games on the patio table, bonfires by the fire pit, and many boat rides on the pontoon. We will definitely be booking this beautiful home again. The hosts were readily available and answered any questions we had. They truly have a beautiful and unique spot and I am glad they shared it with us.
The owners are subsidizing their renovations of this home they live in through renters, as said in their description. However, the property should not be a rental as is. Some areas of concern are dirt road parking far distance from entrance to home (which pools water and mud after rain), sewer smell in lower level, unprotected falloff outside lower level entrance path, dog waste in yard, freezing temp in master bedroom, steep wood stairs to lower level and master, pull out sofa in second bedroom with badly stained cushion and renter has to make up bed, live birds housed outside kitchen that have to be fed by neighbor while renters are there, two off limit but very visible through glass rooms filled with birds and clutter, outside property is unsightly.
We had a wonderful stay! The property was beautiful with gorgeous views! We enjoyed many rides on the pontoon boat & our dog had a blast exploring the huge fenced in yard. The location was great & close to all the northern Michigan spots we love. We plan to return next summer.
A
Wonderful Duck Lake
We LOVED this property. It was in the woods AND on the lake. It had great decks to sit and watch the lake, read a book or drink your morning coffee. The kitchen was well stocked and easy to use. (They even had coffee grinder!) The master bedroom had a wonderful view of the lake. We brought our 2 dogs and it had a LARGE fenced yard that they could play in. We enjoyed taking the dogs for walks in the quiet lake neighborhood. This property is truely dog friendly, as the owners provided extra blankets and towels for letting dogs on the furniture and wiping muddy paws. The aviary of zebra finches was an added beauty as we watched them through the kitchen windows every morning. The property also comes with a full take of gas in the pontoon to take out on the lake whenever you like. This property is only 30 minutes from Sleeping Bear Dune AND Traverse City. We enjoyed our day trips checking out lighthouses and taking a schooner bay cruise. This was a relaxing and fun week on Duck Lake!
Great vacation rental. Kitchen is very well stocked (we like to a rent a house to be able to cook). House is beautiful on a large, fenced property that worked great for our dogs. The dogs probably preferred exploring the big, forested yard to going on hikes with us. Pontoon boat was well-maintained and easy to operate. We really enjoyed watching the zebra finches in the green house through the kitchen windows. Two levels of decks with lake views + patio with bbq grill, smoker. We grilled 3-4 nights. Location is excellent - Duck Lake itself is fun for boating and swimming, convenient groceries and dining in Interlochen (5-10 minutes), and access to Traverse City (north), Sleeping Bear Dunes (nw), and Manistee River (south - canoe access) range from 20-40 minutes drives. House was quiet, and owners were very communicative on boat, fire wood, etc. This was a great stay for a much needed vacation.
We had a lovely time in Interlochen, Traverse City, and Sleeping Bear. The property was convenient and comfortable. We also took the pontoon for a spin and enjoyed that immensely!
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Includes taxes and fees